The Evolution Of NBA 2K
- Ezekiel Felipe
- Mar 19, 2017
- 5 min read
Have you ever wondered what it was like to play NBA 2K throughout the early years of it being made? Well, it's been 18 years now since 2K came into some of our lives. Many people play NBA 2K, but don't know what it takes in making this incredibly fun game. We will be displaying the qualities and history of some of the 2K’s by year, also explaining how it was developed and progressed into the game it is today.
What is NBA 2K?
NBA 2K is a series of basketball simulation video games that was developed and released in 1999. The main idea for the game was to imitate the sport of basketball, specifically the NBA (National Basketball Association). NBA 2K was originally published by Sega Sports (1999-2004) but is now being published by 2K Sports (2005-Present), but all versions being developed by Visual Concepts.
How is NBA 2K made?
NBA 2K is mostly made by capturing the movement of the players by making them wear a skin tight suit called ‘motion capture suits’ that have 60 markers on them, made of retro reflections. They are used to bounce light back to camera’s and calculate the joint angles and bone length so it can capture every move they make, enabling them to transfer everything they recorded into the real game. This can be used for a player’s dunk, shot and defensive movements. Although not all is done with this. Some parts of the game are not made using ‘motion capture suits’ but use only animations.
How can people get into the industry of NBA 2K?
People may have a chance to join the industry of NBA 2K by submitting a resume about themselves to the 2K community (Company - 2K Sports). If they find a person’s resume that matches their open role then they’ll reach out and contact you as soon as possible.
NBA 2K (2000)
NBA 2K (also known as Sega Sports: NBA 2000) was the first evermade 2K of the NBA 2K series which was established by Sega Sports and developed by Visual Concepts in 1999. This game ran at 60fps (frames per second) which featured only 1500 motion- captured animations and about 400 individually modeled players but was only compatible with the sega dreamcast console. Developers first advanced and created the eye movements and facial expressions into this game such as players opening their mouths when going up for a slam dunk, smiling & celebrating after a shot. 2K also added announcers who would call out the plays, showing appropriate enthusiasm. Overall, the first generation wasn’t as of a success but had many thumbs ups. Dillyhox, (Sega Sports NBA 2K DC, 2006) stated, “the gameplay was fun but was a pain to get used to”. Dilly hox rated it a 7.7 out of 10.
NBA 2K3
NBA 2K3 was released on October 7, 2002. Developers (Visual Concepts) have improved the gameplay by advancing better offence to the game such as adding shifty crossovers to get past defenders and adding a new pivot foot option, having more ways to score the ball. The game has developed even more by adding new features to the game such as involving ESPN, creating an option called franchise mode and also adding another mode called street basketball that allows you to play two-on-two or five-on-five. Apart from visual improvements, the character models look further advanced but most were quite obvious that more time and effort were spent more than others.
2K3 has had more gameplays due to the fact that it was compatible with the playstation 2 and the Nintendo Gamecube. This new type of gameplay felt like an ESPN broadcast, which was made for you to experience a better way to play the game as if it was real life. Giancarlo Varanini (Gamespot, October 9, 2002) has mentioned “ If you’re looking for a realistic game of basketball that stimulates nearly every facet of the sport, then NBA 2K3 fits the bill incredibly well. Giancarlo rated the 2K3 an 8.3 out of 10.
NBA 2K6
NBA 2K6 has proven to be one of 2K’s best games out there in the early generation of 2K. Developers have designed better accuracy of player’s faces in high quality which can be shown mostly on Xbox but not that much on PlayStation 2. The point that really stands out in this 2K was the animation, mostly the player movement and collision of players. When it comes to the fps (frames per second), NBA 2K6 suffers from poor fps quality on both platforms (PS2 & Xbox) but overall, the games stands out for its visual effects and how the animation was well organised together. Bob Colayco (Gamespot, September 29, 2005) has rated NBA 2K6 an 8.6 out of 10 and has said “NBA 2K6 continues the tradition of fabulous-looking basketball games from Visual Concepts.
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10 was the number 1, best selling NBA video game in 2010 and has also made better improvements by adding a new sprint system where you can now manage how fast or slow you want to go on the court by holding down R2 for PlayStation 3 and RB for Xbox 360. 2K10 has also added a new energy system that is shown on a bar under your player which indicates if you're fatigued. They also made better improvements in lockdown defence, where you could trigger your man when they have the ball and allows you to fight over position, as you manage to guess the direction your opponent is moving, you could block their pathway, leading to a deflection or turnover. Gamespot has rated NBA 2K10 a 7 out of 10 and has stated, “It is a fast paced basketball game but it makes up for in fun.”
NBA 2K17
NBA 2K17 was released on september 20, 2016 and has become the most recent revolutionized 2K game out. 2K17 has many game features such as online mode which involves MyPark, MyTeam, MyLeague, BlackTop and MyCareer. Most people tend to play on MyTeam and MyPark the most, due to the fun interactions with people and friends playing around the world. MyTeam allows you to create a dynamic team creation system that enables users to customize logo’s, jersey’s, arena’s and court floor’s of their own choice. MyCareer and MyPark community, each community has their own unique ability boost. In these parks, you are able to play with others in a 2-on-2, 3-on 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 games. This game also involves the TV crew; Ernie johnson, Shaquille O'neal, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, Doris Burke and Kevin Harlan which brings excitement, sense of humour and fun to the game. NBA 2K17 is meant for you to experience a mimic of how the NBA is organised and played out. 2K17 also displays high quality, HD animations and player models, also adding in a new system of combining crossovers and juke moves that is made to look as if it was done in real life. The game is at its finest but it doesn’t mean it's perfect, stated by Ben Sin, who said, “ Is the game a perfect recreation of the sport? No, it can never be. But it’s as close as it can get as far as trying to “simulate” a complex athletic contest that requires world-class speed, coordination, agility, power, stamina and more with a plastic controller.” (forbes.com, september 20,2016) Ben Sin has rated NBA 2k17 an 9 out of 10.
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